Jack Dempsey not eating

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
JOSCAR05

JOSCAR05

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Mar 3, 2011
788
1
33
California
Ok so I bought a 3 inch jd 3 days ago and he's not eating. All he's doing is hiding in his little ornament that I bought for him and some times he swims when I'm peeking throught the door and hides when I go in to take a look. I tried tropical flakes, pellets, dried shrimp etc. Can someone please help me. I don't want him to die. Tank size is 55 gallons
 
your fish should be fine buddy. Fish will generally take a while to acclimatize to their new environment. What you should NOT do is add large amounts of food if it is not eating. you will only make your aquarium dirty. The saying 'you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink' comes to mind. Your fish will eat when he is confident enough to come out of hiding and hungry enough. If you are still worried you could try adding food and then leaving the area where the tank is. Try to find a spot where you can see the tank from a distance but the fish cannot see you. He may be confident enough to come out and eat while you are not there, and he will slowly warm to your presence in the room. I tried the exact same technique with my juvenile festae. Works a charm.
 
JDs are very skittish, especially when the tank is large compared to their size and they are alone. If your JD is the only fish in your 55, this could be the problem. If not, it may need a few days to acclimate. Be sure to check the nitrite, nitrate and Ph levels.
 
He should be fine. He will eat when he gets hungry. You could try live food to stimulate him. Worms, crickets, shrimp (all store bought not wild) could trigger him to attach and eat.
 
Alright thanks everyone this helps a whole lot. I will wait it out and check the parameters to make sure. Thanks again I appreciate it very much
 
That is another good point. Maybe a small group of silver dollars? Depending on if you are planning on eventually upgrading to a larger tank you could have more options.
 
Don't worry about it. I go through this with most of my new fish. Your new jack dempsey is probably afraid because your tank is new. When he gets used to things he will start eating. Also, if he doesn't like the food you offer him try buying a variety of foods and he is bound to eat something. Eventually when he starts eating, you can train him to accept a variety of foods. Good luck!
 
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